Cape Town - While SANZAAR bosses and SA Rugby officials will have you believe Super Rugby is in fact not dead, it appears - in Australia at the very least - the tournament's last rites have been read.
READ: Super Rugby is dead - RIP
According to the RugbyPass website, the Western Force chalked up another big victory - and drew another big crowd - in their second World Series Rugby match last weekend, recording a 47-17 win over a Tongan representative side in Perth as billionaire Force owner Andrew Forrest continues to deliver on his promise of making rugby more exciting.
This was a spectacle that had it all - fireworks, magic, a marriage proposal - and a thrilling game of rugby.
After drawing a crowd of 19 466 for last week’s inaugural match, the follow up drew an impressive 16 323 fans.
Despite the slight decline in crowd numbers, the World Series Rugby fixture was the most attended rugby match in Australia for the second week running.
The Perth crowd more than tripled the turnout for Saturday’s Super Rugby fixture between the Melbourne Rebels and the Brumbies at GIO Stadium in Canberra!
That means fewer than 5 500 fans showed up in the nation's capital!
World Series Rugby resumes play on June 9 when the Force take on the Melbourne Rebels, who are now mentored by former Force head coach Dave Wessels and have a number of former Force players on the roster, including captain Adam Coleman and Dane Haylett-Petty among others.